Operation pedal for vehicle

ABSTRACT

In first and second flat plates and provided in the pad mounting portion, projecting portions for locking the pedal pad are provided at positions not juxtaposed with each other in any one of first to third directions. On the other hand, the pedal pad is mounted on the pad mounting portion with an inner wall of a through hole locked by the projecting portion, and with an inner wall of a through hole locked by the projecting portion. In a mounting work, a worker inserts the pad mounting portion through an opening portion of the pedal pad and makes the pedal pad slide toward the second direction so as to complete the mounting. As a result, an operation pedal for a vehicle capable of improving assembling performances of a pedal pad to a pad mounting portion is provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of theprior Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-194036, filed on Sep. 19,2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

A technology disclosed in the present application relates to anoperation pedal for a vehicle and particularly to a mounting structureof a pedal pad.

BACKGROUND ART

Operation pedal devices for a vehicle used when a driver operates avehicle include a parking brake device, a brake pedal device, anaccelerator pedal device, a clutch pedal device and the like. This typeof operation pedal devices for a vehicle include one provided with apedal arm rotatably provided on a vehicle body and a pedal pad attachedto a pad mounting portion provided at a tip end portion of the pedal armas an operation pedal operated by the foot of the driver. Moreover, theoperation pedal includes one in which the pedal pad made of an elasticmember is fitted in the pad mounting portion provided with an engagingportion so that the pedal pad does not remove from the pad mountingportion by a stepping-on operation on the pedal pad by the driver (referto Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2012-208784 and No.2011-215869, for instance), for example. The pad mounting portiondisclosed in the aforementioned patent application is formed such that aflat plate-shaped steel plate is bent by pressing and two flat platesare faced with each other, and the foot of the driver is placed on oneof the two flat plates. The pad mounting portion has an engaging portionprovided on a side surface portion connecting the two flat plates and ismounted by engaging an engaged portion of the pedal pad with thisengaging portion.

RELATED ART Patent Document

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-208784

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-215869

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

In a mounting work of the aforementioned pedal pad, a worker performs itby a manual work in general, and the pedal pad is mounted on the padmounting portion while the engaged portion of the pedal pad is engagedwith the engaging portion of the pad mounting portion. At this time, theworker needs to twist and fit the pedal pad while warping it in a statein which the engaged portion of the pedal pad is engaged with theengaging portion provided at one spot of the pad mounting portion, forexample. On the other hand, the pedal pad needs hardness to such adegree that the pedal pad is not removed from the pad mounting portionwith respect to the stepping-in operation of the driver. Thus, in orderfor the worker to twist and warp the pedal pad, a strong force againstthe elastic force is needed, and assembling performances have not beenfavorable.

The technology disclosed in the present application was proposed in viewof the aforementioned problem. An object is to provide an operationpedal for a vehicle which can improve assembling performances of thepedal pad to the pad mounting portion.

Means for Solving the Problem

A operation pedal for a vehicle of according to a first aspect of thepresent application is the operation pedal for a vehicle comprising: apad mounting portion provided on an end portion of a pedal arm mountedrotatably with respect to a vehicle and transmitting a stepping force bya stepping-on operation of a driver to the pedal arm; and a pedal padmounted on the pad mounting portion and subjected to the stepping-onoperation by the driver, wherein the pad mounting portion includes: afirst flat plate having a first projecting portion provided; and asecond flat plate faced with the first flat plate, having a secondprojecting portion not juxtaposed with the first projecting portion inany of a first direction perpendicular to the first flat plate, a seconddirection perpendicular to the first direction and along the first flatplate, and a third direction perpendicular to the first and seconddirections provided; the pedal pad includes: a first engaged portionprovided in accordance with a position of the first projecting portionand engaged with the first projecting portion; and a second engagedportion provided in accordance with a position of the second projectingportion and engaged with the second projecting portion; and the pedalpad is mounted on the pad mounting portion by making the pedal pad slidein either of the second direction and the third direction.

The operation pedal for a vehicle according to a second aspect of thepresent application is the operation pedal for a vehicle according toclaim 1, wherein the pedal pad includes: a first inner wall portion onwhich the first engaged portion is provided and sliding on the firstflat plate when being mounted on the pad mounting portion; and a secondinner wall portion on which the second engaged portion is provided andsliding on the second flat plate when being mounted on the pad mountingportion; and each of the first inner wall portion and the second innerwall portion is in close contact with the first flat plate and thesecond flat plate in a state, respectively, in which each of the firstengaged portion and the second engaged portion is engaged with the firstprojecting portion and the second projecting portion respectively.

The operation pedal for a vehicle according to a third aspect of thepresent application is the operation pedal for a vehicle according toclaim 1, wherein the pedal pad includes: an edge portion cover coveringa peripheral edge portion between flat plates where the first flat plateand the second flat plate of the pad mounting portion are faced witheach other.

The operation pedal for a vehicle according to a fourth aspect of thepresent application is the operation pedal for a vehicle according toclaim 2, wherein each of the first engaged portion and the secondengaged portion of the pedal pad includes a through hole penetrating thefirst inner wall portion and the second inner wall portion along thefirst direction respectively.

The operation pedal for a vehicle according to a fifth aspect of thepresent application is the operation pedal for a vehicle according toclaims 1, wherein when the pedal pad is mounted on the pad mountingportion, a direction in which the pedal pad is made to slide is thesecond direction; and the first projecting portion and the secondprojecting portion of the pad mounting portion are formed by cutting andraising a part of each of flat plate portions of the first flat plateand the second flat plate, respectively, so as to protrude toward thefirst direction as it goes toward the second direction.

Effects of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the operation pedal for a vehicle of thepresent application, the pad mounting portion includes the first andsecond flat plates faced with each other, and on each of the first andsecond flat plates, the first and second projecting portions areprovided at positions not juxtaposed with each other in any one of thefirst to third directions respectively. On the other hand, the pedal padis mounted on the pad mounting portion by engagement of the firstprojecting portion with the first engaged portion and engagement of thesecond projecting portion with the second engaged portion. The workermounts the pedal pad on the pad mounting portion by sliding it in eitherof the second direction and the third direction along the first flatplate. Thus, in the mounting work, there is no need for the worker totwist or rotate and to fit the pedal pad while engaging it with a partof the pad mounting portion but the pedal pad can be mounted with asmaller force. Moreover, the first and second projecting portionsprovided on the pad mounting portion are located at offset positions notjuxtaposed with each other in any one of the first to third directionsand thus, it is possible to prevent the pedal pad from coming off thepad mounting portion even if a force acts for rotating the pedal padwith respect to the pad mounting portion by a stepping force of thestepping-on operation of the driver. As a result, in this operationpedal for a vehicle, assembling performances of the pedal pad on the padmounting portion can be improved while the pedal pad is prevent fromcoming off the pad mounting portion.

Moreover, according to a second aspect of the present application, thefirst engaged portion is provided on the first inner wall portionsliding on the first flat plate and the second engaged portion isprovided on the second inner wall portion sliding on the second flatplate when the pedal pad is made to slide and is mounted on the padmounting portion. Then, when the mounting work is completed, and in astate in which each of the first and second engaged portions is engagedwith the first and second projecting portions respectively, each of thefirst and second inner wall portions is in close contact with the firstand second flat plates respectively. In this operation pedal for avehicle, by bringing the first and second inner wall portions on whichthe first and second engaged portions are provided into close contactwith the first and second flat plates on which the first and secondprojecting portions are provided, the pedal pad can be mounted on thepad mounting portion in a state in which each of the first and secondprojecting portions is respectively engaged with the first and secondengaged portions more reliably.

Moreover, according to a third aspect of the present application, thepedal pad includes the edge portion cover covering the peripheral edgeportion between the flat plates, where the first flat plate and thesecond flat plate are faced with each other. The pedal pad is mounted onthe pad mounting portion with each of the first and second engagedportions being engaged with the first and second projecting portionsrespectively in a state in which the peripheral edge portion of thefirst and second flat plates is covered by the edge portion cover. As aresult, if, for example, a force acts for rotating the pedal pad withrespect to the pad mounting portion by the stepping force of the driver,contact between the peripheral edge portion of the first and second flatplates and the edge portion cover restricts movement of the pedal pad inthe direction in which the force acts. Therefore, in this operationpedal for a vehicle, the pedal pad can be prevent from coming off thepad mounting portion with more reliably.

Moreover, according to a fourth aspect of the present application, inthe pedal pad, the through hole penetrating the first and second innerwall portions along the first direction is formed as the first andsecond engaged portions. In this composition, in the case of machiningof the first and second engaged portions, for example, of manufacture ofthe pedal pad by injection molding of a soft resin, the through holealong one direction (first direction) can be formed as the first andsecond engaged portions in the same process as the injection molding ofthe pedal pad using a molding die. That is, by making shapes of thefirst and second engaged portions easy to be machined, the pedal padincluding the first and second engaged portions can be manufacturedeasily.

Moreover, according to a fifth aspect of the present application, thepedal pad is made to slide along the second direction and is mounted onthe pad mounting portion. Moreover, the first and second projectingportions are formed by cutting and raising a part of each of the flatplate portions of the first and second flat plates and are formed so asto protrude toward the first direction as it goes toward the seconddirection. In this composition, the first and second projecting portionsare formed so as to protrude more as they go toward the seconddirection. That is, the first and second projecting portions have shapesfunctioning as preventing from coming off for preventing the pedal padfrom moving in the direction of being removed from the pad mountingportion. Preferably, by engaging the first and second projectingportions formed by this cutting/raising with the first and secondengaged portions composed by the through hole in the fourth aspect, thepedal pad can be prevent from coming off the pad mounting portion withmore reliably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of an operation pedal device for a vehicle of thisembodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a pedal arm in a state in which a pedal pad isremoved and is an enlarged view of a lower end portion of the pedal arm.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the lower end portion of the pedal arm in thestate in which the pedal pad is removed when seen from a bent portionside.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the lower end portion of the pedal arm whenseen toward a first direction.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a pad mounting portion of the pedal armshown in FIG. 4 cut in an A-A line and seen toward a second direction.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the pedal pad when seen toward the firstdirection.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the pedal pad when seen toward a thirddirection.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the pedal pad when seen toward a seconddirection.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the pedal pad when seen from a lowerside in the first direction.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an operation pedal in a state in which thepedal pad is mounted on the pad mounting portion and when seen towardthe first direction.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the operation pedal when seen toward the thirddirection.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the pad mounting portion of anotherembodiment when seen toward the second direction.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An operation pedal device for a vehicle according to an embodimentembodying the present invention will be described below by referring tothe attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of an operation pedaldevice 10 for a vehicle of this embodiment when seen from a widthdirection of a vehicle. The operation pedal device for a vehicle(hereinafter referred to as a “pedal device”) 10 is a foot-stepping typeparking brake device, for example, and includes a bracket 11 integrallyfixed to a vehicle body and an operation pedal 12 mounted rotatably tothe bracket 11. FIG. 1 illustrates a state of an initial position beforethe operation pedal 12 is subjected to a stepping-on operation.

The operation pedal 12 includes an elongated pedal arm 14 disposed in avertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) of the vehicle and apedal pad 30 mounted on a lower end portion 15 of the pedal arm 14 andon which a driver performs a stepping-on operation. On the bracket 11, asupport shaft 17 disposed in the width direction of the vehicle(direction orthogonal to a sheet surface in FIG. 1) is mounted. Thepedal arm 14 has a cylindrical collar penetrating an upper end portion18 in the width direction of the vehicle provided, and the support shaft17 is penetrated through the collar. As a result, the pedal arm 14 ispivotally supported rotatably with respect to the bracket 11. The pedalarm 14 is disposed in an attitude with a lower end portion 15 on whichthe pedal pad 30 is provided is tilted to a rear side of the vehicle(left side in FIG. 1) more than the upper end portion 18 pivotallysupported by the support shaft 17. In the operation pedal 12, the pedalarm 14 rotates around the support shaft 17 when the pedal pad 30 isstepped on by the driver.

The pedal device 10 includes a lock mechanism (not shown), and theoperation pedal 12 is locked on a front side of the vehicle bystepping-on of the pedal pad 30 by the driver and the operation pedal 12is unlocked by stepping-on again. Moreover, the pedal arm 14 isconnected to a brake mechanism (not shown) through a brake cable 19. Inthe pedal device 10, when the pedal pad 30 is stepped on by the driver,the pedal arm 14 is rotated, and the brake cable 19 is pulled with therotation of the pedal arm 14, whereby the brake mechanism is operated.Moreover, in the operation pedal 12, the pedal arm 14 is urged by areturn spring, and in a state in which the pedal pad 30 is stepped onand the brake mechanism is not operated, a stopper provided on thebracket 11 restricts the rotation of the pedal arm 14 to a state at aninitial position.

(Pad Mounting Portion 22)

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower end portion 15 ofthe pedal arm 14 and illustrates the pedal arm 14 in a state in whichthe pedal pad 30 is removed. In the pedal arm 14, at a tip end portionof a body portion 21 disposed from the upper end portion 18 to the lowerend portion 15, the pad mounting portion 22 extended from the bodyportion 21 is formed. On the pad mounting portion 22, the aforementionedpedal pad 30 is mounted. The pedal arm 14 is manufactured by pressing aflat-plate shaped steel plate, for example, and sections of the bodyportion 21 and the pad mounting portion 22 of the pedal arm 14 areformed having a substantially U-shape. As a result, in the pedal arm 14,rigidity against a direction in which the driver steps on (firstdirection in FIG. 3) is improved, while a weight of the pedal arm 14 isreduced. Moreover, in this type of composition, machining of the pedalarm 14 is facilitated, and a manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The pad mounting portion 22 includes first and second flat plates 23 and24 formed having flat-plate shapes and a bent portion 25 connecting thefirst and second flat plates 23 and 24. The first flat plate 23 islocated on an upper side in a vertical direction of the vehicle withrespect to the second flat plate 24. The second flat plate 24 has itspart faced with the first flat plate 23 so that their flat surfaces arein parallel with each other. The bent portion 25 is formed integrallywith each of the first and second flat plates 23 and 24 and connects thefirst and second flat plates 23 and 24 to each other. The first flatplate 23 has a projecting portion 23A for mounting the pedal pad 30formed. The projecting portion 23A is formed by cutting and raising apart of the flat-plate shaped first flat plate 23, for example.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the pedal arm 14. In the following description,as illustrated in FIG. 3, a direction from the first flat plate 23toward the second flat plate 24 along a direction perpendicular to theflat surface of the first flat plate 23 is referred as the firstdirection, a direction from a tip end portion 22A of the pad mountingportion 22 toward the body portion 21 along the flat surface of thefirst flat plate 23 in a direction perpendicular to the first directionas a second direction, and a direction from the bent portion 25 sidetoward the first flat plate 23 side in a direction perpendicular to boththe first and second directions as a third direction. Moreover,definitions of the first to third directions are changed as appropriatedepending on the structure of the pad mounting portion 22 and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the projecting portion 23A is formed by beingcut and raised so as to protrude to one side of the first direction(lower side of the first flat plate 23) as it goes from the tip endportion 22A of the pad mounting portion 22 toward the body portion 21side in the second direction. Moreover, the second flat plate 24 has aprojecting portion 24A for mounting the pedal pad 30 formed. Theprojecting portion 24A is formed by having a part of a flat plateportion of the second flat plate 24 cut and raised similarly to theprojecting portion 23A. The projecting portion 24A is cut and raised soas to protrude to a lower side of the second flat plate 24 as it goesfrom the tip end portion 22A of the pad mounting portion 22 toward thebody portion 21 side in the second direction. The second flat plate 24has a curved portion 24B formed at a portion on the body portion 21 siderather than a position where the projecting portion 24A is formed in thesecond direction. The curved portion 24B is formed by being curved tothe lower side of the second flat plate 24 so that a distance from thefirst flat plate 23 gets longer as it goes from a position faced withthe projecting portion 23A of the first flat plate 23 in the firstdirection toward the body portion 21. Therefore, the second flat plate24 is faced with the first flat plate 23 so that their flat surfaces arein parallel with each other on the portion on the tip end portion 22Aside and is curved in a direction away from the first flat plate 23 onthe portion on the body portion 21 side.

The projecting portions 23A and 24A are provided on each of the firstand second flat plates 23 and 24 faced in the first direction and thus,their positions to each other are shifted along the first direction.Moreover, the projecting portion 24A is located at a position closer tothe tip end portion 22A in the second direction than the projectingportion 23A. Therefore, the projecting portions 23A and 24A are locatedat positions shifted from each other along the second direction. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the first flat plate 23 is formed having asubstantially rectangular shape when seen from the first direction witha longitudinal direction formed along the third direction and a shorterdirection along the second direction. The second flat plate 24 is formedhaving a substantially rectangular shape with a length in the thirddirection shorter than that of the first flat plate 23 and with thelongitudinal direction along the second direction. In the first flatplate 23, the projecting portion 23A is formed on a portion not facedwith the second flat plate 24 in the first direction. The projectingportion 24A is located at a position closer to the bent portion 25 thanthe projecting portion 23A in the third direction. Thus, the projectingportions 23A and 24A are located at the positions shifted from eachother along the third direction. Therefore, the projecting portions 23Aand 24A are provided at the offset positions where their positions arenot juxtaposed in any one of the first direction, the second direction,and the third direction. The projecting portions 23A and 24A are formedin accordance with the length of each of the first and second flatplates 23 and 24 in the third direction, and in this embodiment, a widthof the projecting portion 23A along the third direction is longer thanthe projecting portion 24A.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the pad mounting portion 22 shown in FIG.4 cut in an A-A line. The projecting portion 23A has a distanceprotruding toward the first direction shorter than a distance from alower surface of the first flat plate 23 to an upper surface of thesecond flat plate 24 and is formed with a size that the projectingportion 23A is accommodated between the first and second flat plates 23and 24. Moreover, the bent portion 25 is curved so as to protrudeoutward from both end portions connected to the first and second flatplates 23 and 24, respectively.

(Pedal Pad 30)

FIGS. 6 to 9 illustrate the pedal pad 30 in a state removed from the padmounting portion 22. In the following description, the first to thirddirections are described assuming a state in which the pedal pad 30 ismounted on the pad mounting portion 22. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7,the pedal pad 30 is composed by an upper surface cover 31, an edgeportion cover 32, a tip end portion cover 33, a lower surface cover 34(see FIG. 7), and a rear end portion cover 35 and has a box shapecovering an outer periphery of the pad mounting portion 22. The pedalpad 30 is a molded product made of an elastic material, for example(injection molding product of a soft resin, rubber vulcanized moldingproduct and the like, for example).

The upper surface cover 31 is formed having a substantially rectangularshape when seen from the first direction and is formed so as to coverthe upper surface of the first flat plate 23. The upper surface cover 31is a portion on which a foot of the driver is placed when thestepping-on operation is made by the driver. In the upper surface cover31, a plurality of grooves 31A for preventing slip of the foot of thedriver on the upper surface cover 31 are formed along the thirddirection. In the upper surface cover 31, a flat surface havingsubstantially the same shape as the upper surface of the first flatplate 23 is formed on an inner wall portion 31B. Moreover, in the pedalpad 30, through holes 34A and 34B formed respectively in accordance witha position of each of the projecting portion 23A of the first flat plate23 and the projecting portion 24A of the second flat plate 24 formed inthe lower surface cover 34 (see FIGS. 7 and 9). The through hole 34A isformed in accordance with the position of the projecting portion 23A.The through hole 34B is formed in accordance with the position of theprojecting portion 24A. In the lower surface cover 34, a curved portioncover 34C is formed in accordance with the shape of the curved portion24B of the second flat plate 24 provided. Moreover, the edge portioncover 32 is formed having a flat plate shape covering the entireperipheral edge portion (side surface portion of the pad mountingportion 22 in the third direction) between flat plates of the first andsecond flat plates 23 and 24.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the tip end portion cover 33 is formed havinga flat-plate shape covering entirely the tip end portion 22A of the padmounting portion 22 (see FIG. 2). The edge portion cover 32 has a flatsurface in contact with side surface portions on both sides of the padmounting portion 22 in the third direction formed on the inner wallportion 32A. The lower surface cover 34 has a first inner wall portion34D formed in accordance with a position and a shape of the lowersurface of the first flat plate 23. Moreover, the lower surface cover 34has a second inner wall portion 34E formed in accordance with a positionand a shape of the lower surface of the second flat plate 24. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, the first and second inner wall portions 34D and34E of the lower surface cover 34 are formed so as to cover the lowersurfaces of the first and second flat plates 23 and 24. Each of thethrough holes 34A and 34B is fainted by penetrating the first and secondinner wall portions 34D and 34E along the first direction respectively.Moreover, the rear end portion cover 35 is formed so as to cover a rearend portion 22B (see FIG. 4) on a side opposite to the tip end portion22A of the pad mounting portion 22 in the second direction. In the rearend portion cover 35, an opening portion 35A into which the pad mountingportion 22 is inserted is formed. The opening portion 35A is openedlarge on a portion where the curved portion cover 34C is formed.

The pedal pad 30 composed as above is mounted on the pad mountingportion 22 by inserting the pad mounting portion 22 into the openingportion 35A and by fitting and locking the projecting portions 23A and24A of the first and second flat plates 23 and 24 in and by the throughholes 34A and 34B. FIG. 10 illustrates a state in which the pedal pad 30is mounted on the pad mounting portion 22.

In a mounting work, the worker faces the opening portion 35A of thepedal pad 30 with the tip end portion 22A of the pad mounting portion 22and moves the pedal pad 30 toward the second direction so as to slidewith respect to the pad mounting portion 22. The worker makes the padmounting portion 22 slide until it is completely fitted in the pedal pad30. At this time, in the pedal pad 30, the first inner wall portion 34Dof the lower surface cover 34 slide on the first flat plate 23 and thesecond inner wall portion 34E slides on the second flat plate 24.Moreover, in the pedal pad 30, the portion where the through holes 34Aand 34B are formed is elastically deformed to the lower side in thefirst direction so as to follow inclination of the projecting portions23A and 24A. Then, when the pedal pad 30 reaches a portion where the tipend portions of the projecting portions 23A and 24A are accommodated inthe through holes 34A and 34B, a portion around which the through holes34A and 34B are formed is elastically deformed to the upper side in thefirst direction by an elastic force (recovering force to return to anoriginal position). As a result, the pedal pad 30 is mounted with innerwalls of the through holes 34A and 34B locked by the projecting portions23A and 24A of the pad mounting portion 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, in the pedal pad 30, the inner walls of thethrough holes 34A and 34B on the rear end portion cover 35 side arelocked by the tip end portions of the projecting portions 23A and 24A.The pad mounting portion 22 enters a state in which parts of theprojecting portions 23A and 24A are accommodated in each of the throughholes 34A and 34B. The pedal pad 30 is mounted so as to cover the entirepad mounting portion 22. The upper surface cover 31 is fixed in a statein which the inner wall portion 31B is in close contact with the uppersurface of the first flat plate 23. Similarly, the lower surface cover34 is fixed in a state in which the first inner wall portion 34D is inclose contact with the lower surface of the first flat plate 23 and thesecond inner wall portion 34E with the lower surface of the second flatplate 24, respectively. Moreover, the edge portion cover 32 is fixed ina state in which a part of the inner wall portion 32A is in contact withthe side surface portions on the both sides of the pad mounting portion22 in the third direction.

According to the aforementioned embodiment, the following effects areexerted.

<Effect 1> The first and second flat plates 23 and 24 provided in thepad mounting portion 22 of this embodiment are provided at the offsetpositions not juxtaposed in any one of the first to third directionswith the projecting portions 23A and 24A for locking the pedal pad 30.With respect to the pad mounting portion 22 in such composition, thepedal pad 30 is mounted on the pad mounting portion 22 with the innerwall of the through hole 34A locked by the projecting portion 23A andthe inner wall of the through hole 34B locked by the projecting portion24A. The worker inserts the tip end portion 22A of the pad mountingportion 22 into the opening portion 35A of the pedal pad 30 (see FIG. 9)and makes the pedal pad 30 slide toward one direction (the seconddirection in the embodiment) mounted on the pad mounting portion 22 inthe mounting work. In this mounting work, the worker does not have totwist or rotate to fit the pedal pad 30 while warping it and can mountthe pedal pad 30 with a smaller force. Moreover, the projecting portions23A and 24A provided on the pad mounting portion 22 are provided at theoffset positions not juxtaposed in any one of the first to thirddirections. It is possible to prevent the pedal pad 30 from coming offthe pad mounting portion 22 even if a force acts for rotating the pedalpad 30 with respect to the pad mounting portion 22 by the stepping forceof the stepping-on operation of the driver. As described above, in theoperation pedal 12 of this embodiment, assembling performances of thepedal pad. 30 on the pad mounting portion 22 are improved while thepedal pad 30 is prevent from coming off the pad mounting portion 22.

<Effect 2> In the pedal pad 30, the through holes 34A and 34B are formedin the first and second inner wall portions 34D and 34E (lower surfacecover 34) mounted while sliding on the lower surfaces of the first andsecond flat plates 23 and 24, respectively. The pedal pad 30 is mountedon the pad mounting portion 22 with the tip end portion of each of theprojecting portions 23A and 24A engaged with the inner walls of thethrough holes 34A and 34B in the state in which the first inner wallportion 34D is in close contact with the lower surface of the first flatplate 23 and the second inner wall portion 34E with the lower surface ofthe second flat plate 24, respectively. In such composition, bycomposing inner peripheral surfaces of the first and second inner wallportions 34D and 34E by flat planes in accordance with the lowersurfaces of the first and second flat plates 23 and 24 and bringing theminto close contact with each other, the tip end portions of theprojecting portions 23A and 24A projecting from the lower surfaces arelocked so as to bite into the inner walls on the lower side in the firstdirection in the through holes 34A and 34B. As a result, the pedal pad30 can be prevent from coming off the pad mounting portion 22 with morereliably.

<Effect 3> The edge portion cover 32 of the pedal pad 30 is formedhaving a flat-plate shape covering the entire peripheral edge portionbetween the flat plates of the first and second flat plates 23 and 24(side surface portion of the pad mounting portion 22 in the thirddirection) and fixed in a state in which a part of the inner wallportion 32A (see FIG. 8) is in contact with the side surface portion ofthe pad mounting portion 22. In the pedal pad 30, a friction force isgenerated in accordance with a contact area between the inner wallportion 32A of the edge portion cover 32 and the side surface portion ofthe pad mounting portion 22. As a result, even if a force to rotate thepedal pad 30 with a straight line along the second direction as arotating axis, for example, acts on the pad mounting portion 22, thepedal pad 30 does not rotate easily due to the friction force generatedbetween the pad mounting portion 22 and itself and does not come off thepad mounting portion 22 easily.

<Effect 4> In the pedal pad 30, the through holes 34A and 34Bpenetrating each of the first and second inner wall portions 34D and 34Ealong the first direction respectively function as engaged portions tobe engaged with the projecting portions 23A and 24A. In suchcomposition, the through holes 34A and 34B along the first direction canbe formed in the same process as injection molding of the pedal pad 30using a molding die, for example. That is, by making the engaged portioneasy to be machined, the pedal pad 30 provided with the engaged portioncan be manufactured easily.

<Effect 5> The projecting portions 23A and 24A are formed by cutting andraising a part of a flat plate portion of each of the first and secondflat plates 23 and 24. Moreover, the projecting portions 23A and 24A areformed so as to protrude toward the first direction as they go from thetip end portion 22A of the pad mounting portion 22 toward the bodyportion 21 side in the second direction in which the pedal pad 30 ismade to slide when being mounted. In such composition, by continuouslymaking the pedal pad 30 slide in the second direction, when the tip endportions of the projecting portions 23A and 24A reach the portion wherethey are accommodated in the through holes 34A and 34B, the portionaround which the through holes 34A and 34B are formed is elasticallydeformed to the upper side in the first direction by the recoveringforce, whereby the projecting portions 23A and 24A protrude with respectto the through holes 34A and 34B of the pedal pad 30. Moreover, a partof the through holes 34A and 34B of the pedal pad 30 which has beenmounted is located on the rear end portion cover 35 side in the seconddirection with respect to the projecting portions 23A and 24A formed bycutting and raising (see FIG. 11). That is, the projecting portions 23Aand 24A have shapes functioning as prevention from coming off forpreventing movement in the direction in which the pedal pad 30 comes offthe pad mounting portion 22 (direction opposite to the seconddirection). As a result, the pedal pad 30 is prevent from coming off thepad mounting portion 22 with more reliably.

<Effect 6> The upper surface cover 31 of the pedal pad 30 is mounted onthe pad mounting portion 22 in the state in which the inner wall portion31B (see FIG. 7) is in close contact with the upper surfaces of thefirst and second flat plates 23 and 24. As a result, the pedal pad 30 ismounted in close contact with the flat surface (upper surface of thefirst flat plate 23) on which the driver steps on the pad mountingportion 22 and thus, the stepping force given to the pedal pad 30 isefficiently transmitted to the pad mounting portion 22. Moreover, evenif a force to move the pedal pad 30 so as to be relatively dislocatedwith respect to the pad mounting portion 22 by stepping-on by the driver(movement in the second direction and the third direction, for example)acts, the dislocating movement is restricted by the friction forcegenerated in accordance with the contact area between the inner wallportion 31B and the first flat plate 23 in close contact, and coming offis prevented.

<Effect 7> In the lower surface cover 34, the curved portion cover 34Cformed in accordance with the shape of the curved portion 24B of thesecond flat plate 24 is provided. The pedal pad 30 is fixed to the padmounting portion 22 in the state in which the inner peripheral surfaceof the curved portion cover 34C is in close contact with an outerperipheral surface of the curved portion 24B (FIG. 11) and coming off isprevented.

The operation pedal 12 in this embodiment is an example of the operationpedal for a vehicle. The projecting portion 23A is an example of thefirst projecting portion. The projecting portion 24A is an example ofthe second projecting portion. The direction in which the driver stepson the operation pedal 12 is an example of the first direction, thedirection perpendicular to the first direction from the tip end portion22A of the pad mounting portion 22 toward the body portion 21 along theflat surface of the first flat plate 23 is an example of the seconddirection, and the direction perpendicular to both the first and seconddirections and from the bent portion 25 side toward the first flat plate23 side is an example of the third direction. The through hole 34A is anexample of the first engaged portion. The through hole 34B is an exampleof the second engaged portion. The edge portion cover 32 is an exampleof the edge portion cover.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to theaforementioned embodiment but is capable of various improvement andchanges within a range not departing from the gist of the presentinvention.

For example, in the aforementioned embodiment, the operation pedal 12(operation pedal for a vehicle) of the parking brake device wasdescribed as an example in the embodiment of the present invention butthe present invention is not limited to that but is favorably applied toother operation pedals of vehicles, that is, a normal-use brake pedal,accelerator pedal, clutch pedal and the like.

The shape, composition and the like of each member of the aforementionedembodiment are only examples and can be changed as appropriate. Forexample, the aforementioned embodiment is so composed that the first andsecond flat plates 23 and 24 are faced with each other in the firstdirection, but it may be changed to composition which they are facedwith each other in another direction, for example, in the thirddirection. FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a pad mounting portion 40 inanother embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the pad mounting portion40 includes first and second flat plates 41 and 42 with their flatsurfaced faced with each other in the third direction. On each of thefirst and second flat plates 41 and 42, projecting portions 41A and 42Aformed so as to protrude to a facing flat plate side are formedrespectively. The projecting portions 41A and 42A are provided atpositions offset from each other in any one of the first direction, thesecond direction, and the third direction. The first and second flatplates 41 and 42 are connected to each other by a bent portion 43 formedalong the third direction. In this case, in the pedal pad 30, thethrough holes 34A and 34B are formed along the third direction, forexample, in accordance with the positions of the projecting portions 41Aand 42A. Moreover, in the pad mounting portion 40, the bent portion 43becomes a surface on which the driver steps and is subjected to thestepping-on operation by the driver toward the first direction(direction from the right to the left in FIG. 12). In such composition,too, similarly to the aforementioned embodiment, assembling performancesof the pedal pad 30 to the pad mounting portion 22 can be improved whilepreventing the pedal pad 30 from coming off.

Moreover, in the composition illustrated in FIG. 12, the projectingportions 41A and 42A are formed by being cut and raised in the directiongetting closer to each other. Similarly to this, in the aforementionedembodiment, in the second flat plate 24, the projecting portion 24A maybe formed by being cut and raised toward the first flat plate 23 side,for example. On the contrary, in either one of the first and second flatplates 41 and 42 illustrated in FIG. 12, the projecting portions 41A and42A may be formed outward.

Moreover, in the aforementioned embodiment, the projecting portion 23Amay be changed to a position closer to the tip end portion 22A in thesecond direction than the projecting portion 24A. Similarly, theprojecting portion 23A may be changed to a position closer to the bentportion 25 in the third direction than the projecting portion 24A.

Moreover, the shape, the number, the machining method and the like ofthe projecting portions 23A and 24A are examples and are changed asappropriate. For example, the projecting portion 23A may be fixed to thefirst flat plate 23 by welding (such as arc welding, for example).

Moreover, the shapes of the through holes 34A and 34B as the engagedportions are not limited to holes penetrating the first inner wallportion 34D but may have other shapes such as a shape formed byrecessing the first inner wall portion 34D, a slit and the like.

Moreover, the pedal arm 14 may be composed by providing the pad mountingportion 22 and the body portion 21 on separate bodies and connecting(welding or the like) them to each other. Moreover, the pedal arm 14 iscomposed to be manufactured by pressing a single steel plate, but it maybe a hollow pedal arm formed by combining a plurality of structures (apair of split bodies or the like) with each other, and by welding them.

Moreover, the definition of each direction in the aforementionedembodiment is an example and can be changed as appropriate. For example,the aforementioned embodiment is composed such that the flat surfaces ofthe first and second flat plates 23 and 24 are faced with each other tobe in parallel, but either one of them may be inclined to the other incomposition. In this case, the definition of the first direction may besuch that a direction connecting centers of the flat surfaces of thefirst and second flat plates 23 and 24 is defined as the firstdirection, for example.

Moreover, the pedal arm 14 is disposed in the vertical direction of thevehicle but this does not necessarily have to be in a fullyperpendicular state but may be inclined to a front-back direction of thevehicle, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SIGNS Explanation of References

-   12 operation pedal-   14 pedal arm-   22 pad mounting portion-   30 pedal pad-   23 first flat plate-   23A projecting portion-   24 second flat plate-   24A projecting portion-   34A through hole-   34B through hole-   32 edge portion cover-   34D first inner wall portion-   34E second inner wall portion

1. An operation pedal for a vehicle comprising: a pad mounting portionprovided on an end portion of a pedal arm mounted rotatably with respectto a vehicle and transmitting a stepping force by a stepping-onoperation of a driver to the pedal arm; and a pedal pad mounted on thepad mounting portion and subjected to the stepping-on operation by thedriver, wherein the pad mounting portion includes: a first flat platehaving a first projecting portion provided; and a second flat platefaced with the first flat plate, having a second projecting portion notjuxtaposed with the first projecting portion in any of a first directionperpendicular to the first flat plate, a second direction perpendicularto the first direction and along the first flat plate, and a thirddirection perpendicular to the first and second directions provided; thepedal pad includes: a first engaged portion provided in accordance witha position of the first projecting portion and engaged with the firstprojecting portion; and a second engaged portion provided in accordancewith a position of the second projecting portion and engaged with thesecond projecting portion; and the pedal pad is mounted on the padmounting portion by making the pedal pad slide in either of the seconddirection and the third direction.
 2. The operation pedal for a vehicleaccording to claim 1, wherein the pedal pad includes: a first inner wallportion on which the first engaged portion is provided and sliding onthe first flat plate when being mounted on the pad mounting portion; anda second inner wall portion on which the second engaged portion isprovided and sliding on the second flat plate when being mounted on thepad mounting portion; and each of the first inner wall portion and thesecond inner wall portion is in close contact with the first flat plateand the second flat plate in a state, respectively, in which each of thefirst engaged portion and the second engaged portion is engaged with thefirst projecting portion and the second projecting portion respectively.3. The operation pedal for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein thepedal pad includes: an edge portion cover covering a peripheral edgeportion between flat plates where the first flat plate and the secondflat plate of the pad mounting portion are faced with each other.
 4. Theoperation pedal for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein each of thefirst engaged portion and the second engaged portion of the pedal padincludes a through hole penetrating the first inner wall portion and thesecond inner wall portion along the first direction respectively.
 5. Theoperation pedal for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when thepedal pad is mounted on the pad mounting portion, a direction in whichthe pedal pad is made to slide is the second direction; and the firstprojecting portion and the second projecting portion of the pad mountingportion are formed by cutting and raising a part of each of flat plateportions of the first flat plate and the second flat plate,respectively, so as to protrude toward the first direction as it goestoward the second direction.